Kansas group pushes data center ban petition
Protect Kansas is collecting signatures on three petitions aimed at restricting high-impact data centers in Shawnee County. The proposals would ban facilities within Topeka city limits, block annexation of proposed county sites and prevent the city from supplying them with water, citing environmental impacts and utility costs.
Protect Kansas held a petition campaign at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library to place data center restrictions before voters in March. The group is pursuing three measures: a ban on high-impact data centers within Topeka, a prohibition on annexing proposed sites in Shawnee County and a ban on providing city water to the facilities.
Organizers raised concerns about the environmental effects and utility costs of a proposed 600-megawatt facility, saying its electricity demand would be comparable to the power used by the entire county. Topeka Mayor Spencer Duncan said decisions and discussions about data centers would be conducted publicly.